Steady! steady! GOOO!

K

kabira786

Active member
Ok im really getting confused now with all this sabilizers now they all seem to do the job yet they all seem to be crap, unless you buy a steadycam which costs alot of money.

I just want to buy a hand held stabilizer which will fly the hvx200 + cineporter

I dont give a dam about my arms acheing because im gona fly it for no more than 10 to 20 munites per day.

these are the one I have looked at but then I see some one else slating it, then I change my mind.

ONE MAJOR FACTOR: I need to switch the hand held stabilizer very easily to a triopd!!

glidecam 4000
abc handyman 1000c
merlin... too low in weight
varizoom

you name it.

Please heeeeeeeeeeeelp!!
 
kabir said:
I dont give a dam about my arms acheing because im gona fly it for no more than 10 to 20 munites per day.
Click to expand...
Have you every tried one? I doubt you'd be saying something like that if you had -- it's not only very tiring, but if you have trouble controlling the weight and your muscles begin to shake, the video won't be usable.

I've used a hand-held stabilizer (the VariZoom Flowpod) with a smaller MiniDV camera, and I wouldn't dream of putting my HVX on it. With a Cineporter, it would be even worse, and the duration for which you can hand-hold a stabilizer is easily covered using P2 cards.

Regarding the transition to a tripod, I mounted a Manfrotto QD plate on the Flowpod, so I can easily move my cameras from the Flowpod to a tripod.
 
Thanx for that info, as I said I will use it for 10 to 20 min max

do you have any suggestions on a rig

Can you please tell me more about the manfrotto qd systems seems interesting as i very much need to switch to a tripod very easyly.

thanx.
 
THoff,

You said you have a Flowpod and you wouldn't put your HVX on it? Is that because you don't have a vest or because you wouldn't put it on there at all??

I'm in the market and appreciate your input.
 
Kabir, I got a Manfrotto 577 quick release adapter, which I mounted on the Flowpod using a 1/4" screw. This gives the Flowpod the same quick release adapter that is part of my 503 tripod head, so the same plate on the bottom of a camera can quickly mount the camera on either the Flowpod or the 503 tripod head.

There is nothing wrong with the Flowpod as far as reliability or ability to safely hold the HVX is concerned, it's just too heavy for handheld use, at least for me. Varizoom makes a vest that works with the Flowpod, but it's only single-arm. Still, a vest is the only way I would consider using a stabilizer with an HVX, especially if that will also include a Cineporter added to the mix.
 
Thoff, I asked mikko before he was not impressed with the vari zoom rigs otherwise I could look at a few of those. Beacuse Im gonna shoot weddings I though getting in and out of a body suite will be time consuming.

thanx for ur info.
 
Thoff, There is an option where I could buy a 8gb p2 card which will give me 20min on 720/25p recording as im in England I saw in a site an 8gb p2 card cost 1200 which is about 600 uk pounds. so I can record my hand held steady shots using a varizoom, glidecam, then switch it back on my tripod witch has the cineporter attached already. using that quickrelease in between.

what do you think?
 
The Flowpod doesn't compare to an expensive vest system, it's a handheld stabilizer and should be judged as such. For handheld use, it is not only fine, but it offers some unique features like the locking handle and the monopod.
 
kabir said:
...then switch it back on my tripod witch has the cineporter attached already. using that quickrelease in between.
Click to expand...
Sounds like a good solution. You would have to mount the quick release adapter on top of the Cineporter, but that shouldn't be a problem. You could leave the one 8GB P2 card in the camera, and just plug the Cineporter into the other slot.
 
now the question is it possible to use the quick release on a glide cam or other rig.

NOW, which Handheld is the best for hvx200 which will allow me quick release option. price i dont mind if it is a bit pricy.

thanx
 
The Manfrotto 577 will mount to anything that uses a 1/4" or 3/8" screw to secure a camera, so it should work with practically all the stabilizers and rigs out there. The question is whether or not the Manfrotto plate is compatible with your tripod head.

If not, then I would see if the manufacturer or the head has a product similar to the 577.
 
I said it in the other thread, I'll say it here too: NO ONE can fly a HVX & Cineporter on a Handheld stabilizer. It's just TOO HEAVY. And i'm talking about secconds here, not minutes.
Try it: Hold a gallon of milk out in front of you in one hand. Heavy huh? Now double that beacuse of the way you have to hold a stabilizer.



I see you are looking/willing to ditch the Cineporter for the flying shots.


Then I'd recomend the Steadicam Merlin. For 2 reasons:

1) It's the Lightest handheld rig there is. Meaning that you can operate it for longer.

2) It has a BUILT IN quick release system - and a tripod plate is INCLUDED with it! Just put the tripod plate on top of your Cineporter, and you can drop the camera (on Merlin's dovetail plate) either onto the Merlin or the Cineporter (on your tripod) instanly. - Probably faster than you could with even a Manfrotto plate.

That's a double win, beacuse adding a quick-release adapter to the other systems also adds MORE weight to them (and moves the camera higher, needing even more counterweight!). And that additional Q-R kit costs some too.


Plus all the other benefits of the Merlin.

- Mikko
 
The CinePorter will come with the option of a one, three, or six foot cable. I'm planning on rigging some sort of belt for the CinePorter and run the three foot cable to the camera.
 
How thick will the cineporter cable be?

It's gota be thin, light, and above all; flexible, to work with a stabilizer.

- Mikko
 
A cable will interfere with any stabilizer because it will create drag. Also, the flip-out LCD acts as a sail and can cause the camera to start spinning.
 
I use the Glidecam 4000. It works great, but it does take time to master, and to set up and balance. If you want quick and easy Glidecam/tripod switching, you might have to buy two QR plates. I bought two Bogen's from B&H at $40 each. The 4000 is about $400 I think. I also use it with the Glidecam Smooth Shooter vest/arm. That's about $1500.
 
THoff said:
A cable will interfere with any stabilizer because it will create drag. Also, the flip-out LCD acts as a sail and can cause the camera to start spinning.
Click to expand...

A sail??? LOL!!! It's true though, when I go out with my rig, I insist on the Aerodynamic Camera Cover® from NASA. It's the ONLY way to fly.

:)
 
Get the Glidecam 4000 Pro. If you can afford the arm and vest then do it. If not, I've got excellent results with just the hand held but you will feel the weight.
 
Can Scanner said:
A sail??? LOL!!!
Click to expand...
Absolutely. With a properly balanced camera and stabilizer, if you go outside in windy conditions, the resistance created by the flipped open LCD can make the camera turn if you aren't holding onto it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top